Siempre Verde: Cultivating a Creative Ecosystem for Feeling & Healing sprouted as Bonnie Cisneros/DJ Despeinada’s quarantine residency at Evergreen Garden in the summer of 2020 and bloomed into an intergenerational art, journalism, and mutual aid project. For the first two years of the pandemic, Cisneros redistributed funds she earned from DJ gigs, community workshops, academic lectures, and artist grants to commission artwork by 24 San Antonio artists, plus one from Chicago. Inspired by Chicano Movement poster art, DIY aesthetics of orgs such as San Anto Cultural Arts, and Gloria Anzaldúa’s theory of spiritual activism, she expanded the project by publishing essays and artist interviews on bonniecisneros.com to document the stories of local working-class artists during a time of global plague and social crisis.

Cisneros is curating a group exhibition featuring 40 works of art she commissioned and was gifted during 2020-2022. She is archiving the project in a zine catalogue featuring cover art by Linda Monsivais Hernández published by Cisneros's latest endeavor, Bisnieta Press, which will be available for purchase. The FREE event will feature DJ sets for feeling & healing by Olivia Garcia, Jose Cosme, and Lenzy Mora, an art mercado, pan dulce by Sunshine Bakery, and Maestra Verónica Castillo’s homemade arroz y frijoles and agua de jamaica. Siempre Verde is made possible with the support of the City of San Antonio's Department of Arts & Culture, Edward Vela and Evergreen Garden, Galeria E.V.A., and an ecosystem of community, family, artists, and patrons.

Featured Artists:
Linda Monsivais Hernandez
Regina Román
Isabel Ann Castro
Joe DeLaCruz
Cristina Martinez
Mary Agnes Rodriguez
Reg Morales
Lenzy Mora
Rudy Marco Herrera
Jose Sotelo
Beto De León
Kayla Matta
Galileo Gonzalez
Daryan Arcos
Sarah Castillo
Jose Cosme
Raisa Meléndez
Audrya Flores
Karen Gutierrez
Rafael De La Garza
Ashleigh Valentine Garza
Lizett Carmona/Frijoliz
AnaKaren Ortiz Varela
Ingrid Mejia
Sheila Vasquez